The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-14
AMERICAS ONLY ACTIVE VOLCANO.
A Graphic Report of Visit to the Bavispe
Volcano, in the State of Sonora, Mexico.

/ NEW YORK, July IA correspondent of the
Herald last night telegraphed follows from
I, Ell Paso: II have just returned from the scene
| of the only active volcano in North America
i The trip was one of extraordinary hardship, ac-
| complished in the face of obstacles of which the
entire absence of any road, an arid desert of
| over 100 miles across, and the blazing of
| tropical zone were conspicuous features. The
/ volcano lies twelve miles, as the crow flies from
/ Bavispe, in the state of Sonora. in the extreme
| northwest corner Of the Mexican republic. A
| rough estimate will place the distance from Ell
| Paso at 400 miles The rugged and desolate
nature of the country. the infrequency of it's
springs, and the almost deadly heat that exists
there nine months out of the twelve have eff
fectually kept out the American prospsetor. al
though the mountains are full of gold, and even
the hardy Mexican has largely left it to its
primal solitude Here and there scattered
villages of which Bavispe is type. The
town lies southwest of Casas Grandes It
contains about 2 500 souls. if you count
soul to each inhabitant They miserably
poor and live in a condition of such indescriba-
BILE squalor and perpetual misery that their lot
compares unfavorably with the wandering coy
ote, their nearest neghbor We went by way
of the Carralitos Hacienda, on the Rritton Davis
ranch. lying about due east of Bavispe, in the
State of chihuahua. To conceive the fatigue and
ardor Of the trip, must add a blazing sun
that scared and shrivsled the very granite.
parched and alkali-laden wind blowing at mid
day, and filling the throat with its smarting par
ticles, and reflection from the earth that was
like the breath of furnace. We were well
supplied with ropes and tackle, which we had
frequent occasion to use, for although it is pro-
verbal that the burro cross places where
angels fear to tread were obliged to abandon
our pack train almost at the outset.
1.-THE eighth day brought the explorers into
the vicinity of Bavispe; but little prior to this
We had the first intmation of cosmic disturb
ance in the shape Of futtering tremor of the
earth. These shocks, which were slight and undu
lating, increased in frequency as We drew near
the town. until scarcely an hour elapsed without
a repetition Of them. We came in sight of b.
vispe about 10 o'clock in the morning and the
first thing that met our sight was a huddled
campment of several hundred people the
broad mesa that TANKS the town. Bavispe it
self may be spoken of IN the past tense: it no
longer exists. On the LIST Of last May. just at
the gray of dawn. the villagers awakened
by q sckening shudder of the earth, followed by
a quick tremor that reduced half the abodes of
the place to ruins. Creeping out from the
wrecks of their dwellings, they sought safety
the level grounds. whore a sort of encampment
formed, and thence, in time. the entire
village was migrated. Since that morning Of
desolation aud terror there has been no day un-
accompanied by earthquake. Sometimes it
has been violent to loosen masses of rock
and open assures in the mount tain side, and
sometimes 1t is an almost imperceptible vibra-
tion but never has it entirely ceased, and the
superstitious Mexcans have given Themselves
up to the apathy of despair. Our appearance.
which at other times would have convuised the
village with excitemenr. scarcely attracted at
tention. A few half naked men and haggard
women struggled out of their tenements to
meet US. but many glanced from their open
and ia aiO Tho fnUn
rather what was the town. looks like the
broken toy village OF a child. There is not
house left standing Shattered heaps of
adobes and yawnine holes marked the site, and
mingled in the ruins the few utensils of their
domestic life, for which asuperstitous terror for
babe them to return. Many have gone toward
the south, but the bulk of the people are far too
poor to undertake journey, which, without
sources means death, and SO they have camped
within sight of the wreck of their homes in
mute and pathetic helplessness. The mortality
which attended this disaster must have been
great, but it was almost impossible to draw any
of them into conversation, and quite obtain
any accurate information. Over twenty sunken
places in tho mesa marked recent graves, and as
many more dead probably lying in the
ruins. From Bavispe we had our drst sight of
our objective point-the volcano 4 pennant of
smoke traied by the wind from a lew, square
topped peak to the southwest, defined it's loca-
ton, while a dull and muttering roar, almost
ncessant, told that the forces of .naturs wero at
work. The volcano lies about twelve miles from
the site of the town but over such &c extra
Ordinary DrOkou braCt Oh country tnht
realized at that it would require two
days journey to reach it, and pushed straight
ahead without delay. The phenomena which
we had observed at Bavispe had increased in
volume we approached the mountain. We fol-
lowed the dry bed of stream which, at some
forgotten period had worn q causeway through
the granite. 1t broken by assures of evident
recent origin, running from north to south, and
in some cases four FIVE feet broad and Of un-
known depth. Springing from one of these.
about four miles out, we encountered a geyser,
rivaling any of those in the National Park. It
is in the center of circular basin, with SIDES of
sand and mud, and about forty feet in diameter
At intervals of fifteen minutes immense
stream of boiling water leaps out and up to
height of, should judge. sixty feet
The geyser spouts four or five minutes, and
then subsidies quickly it came. disappearing
with mutter that reverberates far down into
the bowels OF the troubled earth"